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Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
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Riddle of Steel 2003: “Be Trained or Be Chained”
Text and Photos by Morgan Atwood
Every journey begins and ends with a single
step. In between is a story, in this case the story of knife fighting and the
warrior path. It is a story told in motion, adventure, and knowledge. Like the
river itself, moving ever into the future and sharing its gifts with all in
its path, was the Riddle of Steel.
From near and far, across oceans and across the
States, thirty-seven men gathered in Clarkston, Washington for a trip up the
Snake River into famed Hell’s Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North
America. We were a motley crew, a diverse bunch of knife-makers, bikers,
doctors and professional warriors. We came together for a single purpose: the
tactical buffet that is the Riddle of Steel and the experience of training
under Master At Arms James A. Keating.
Master At Arms James A. Keating and
the author.
The seventy-mile trip
south on the North-flowing Snake River was beautiful. Going deeper and deeper
into the heart of the Earth, the land around us changed. The lava flow
deposits were left behind for the hard up-thrust rock terrain created when
tectonic plates crashed together millions of years ago, driving rock upwards
and carving the landscape for the future.
The rugged terrain that is Hell’s Canyon and the
Snake River.
The future was a
theme for the training and events of ROS 2003 from the very beginning. The
motto was, Be Trained or Be Chained. It fit. The world is changing and we
have to change with it. We must be ready but also know how to blend in,
to conceal our treasures, as they say. Such discretion was key at the hotel
on the evening before and the morning of our departure. Our claws were hidden
out of sight and we did our best to look like normal folks going up the river
on any old tour.
Many times over the
following days we spoke of the future and the need to be trained, to be
prepared on all levels. Red Dawn it is not, but we are indeed living in
interesting and demanding times. James Keating made sure we could fill our
plates with a great selection of the skills and knowledge to meet those
demands.
When we arrived at Copper Creek, our lodge for the days up-river, we formed a
chain and moved the luggage up from the boat to the hill. There, our
hosts, Russ and Cindy, the Copper Creek caretakers, had a tractor waiting to
transport the luggage up to the camp proper. This was a big help, as the
spinal injuries sustained by our knife and sheath makers transporting their
gear up that steep hill would needlessly have taken some great talents from
the world.
When we got our luggage sorted
out, we all trucked off to find our rooms. Once I found my quarters and got my
stuff stowed away, I went back out and helped others get their stuff up to
their rooms. Everyone found rooms pretty easily, except for Jim who ended up
tucked into a spare room being used for storage, but took it with a smile.
Once wed all gotten our quarters and luggage squared away, we
gathered again for a packed lunch of sandwiches and sodas. Introductions not
made at the hotel or on the docks were made there as we ate. Then we all
headed to the clearing above the river for a basic introductory talk and
safety lecture from James. He reminded us of the responsibilities and possible
dangers we take on while being in the wild. We were in bear and big cat
country and were instructed to keep our eyes and ears open accordingly. The
basics of how things were to be done was gone over. James explained to us that
it wasnt a terribly strict schedule and we were welcome to attend the
sessions we wanted and take off from the ones in which we werent interested,
going for walks, or just kicking back in our rooms or in the chow-hall to have
a cup of coffee.
After wrapping up that
initial talk, things moved pretty quickly. James produced a box of goodies
from Spyderco and out
came thirty-five brand new Temperance Trainers gifts from Sal Glesser,
Spyderco head honcho and past Riddler. There were two Spydercos too few, so
two guys were left out of the initial freebie fun, but those of us who really
needed better trainers than what we had brought greatly appreciated Sals
gesture and the kindness of the two who stepped back and let the rest of us at
the items.
Spyderco Temperance Trainer.
Photo by Phil Elmore.
The trainers
were very nice, mimicking the weight and feel of live Temperance blades.
They were complete with well done Kydex sheaths fitted with BladeTech Tek-Loks.
We used these tools more than any other during the event and everyone seemed
pleased with them as general trainers.
Once trainers had been handed out, James gave
Shomer-Tec catalogs to
all who wanted them. We then moved right into our first training session. Our
first practice was transitioning the knife from forward grip to reverse grip
by means of spinning between index finger and thumb. After we had gotten that
down we moved into a different type of grip transition, flipping the knife
between our middle and ring fingers to go from forward into reverse. Once we
got those down James and his instructing partner demonstrated a six-point
drill using the two transition methods. Then everyone found a partner and we
started working that drill. It was slow at first, but everyone got into the
swing of things very quickly and easily.
There was a roughly even mix of new guys and more experienced folks, many
instructors in their own rights, so those of us doing these things for the
first time were always able to get help and improve very quickly with the
guidance of our more experienced partners or instructors acting as observers.
From that six-point drill we moved into Enganyo,
Gunting and Tsumketi. We closed out the afternoon session with a
brief run-down of Redondo and then took a short break before moving
into evening pre-dinner exercises.
James
brought a special friend of his, Santos Garcia, to lead us in some meditations
and show us some new things in that area. Every afternoon was closed out with
such exercises. Personal opinions will vary, but it was a relaxing experience
and helped me at least to remember the days lessons. I could transfer
from training mode to a more kicked back attitude for dinner and the relaxed
happenings of the nights. I found myself very glad Santos was there and always
enjoyed talking with him. Being so far from home, it was nice to meet someone
who was from my part of the world originally and knew where my little home
town was when I said its name.
Dinners
were prepared by the Copper Creek caretakers, Russ and Cindy, and were always
very good. The first night we were greeted with hors d’oeuvres and then a very
full meal of prime rib. Every night promised and delivered the best eats and
the best conversation. True to James words, we ate very well.
As the dinner gathering dissolved, some of us moved off to the
game room where Wendell Fox had taken over a table in the corner and Robert
Humelbaugh had spread out across the pool table. Rob Patton rounded out this
trifecta before the evening was out, taking over a small end of the pool
table. Some may argue that such a collection of beautiful and deadly items in
such a small space would be dangerous to people with weak hearts, but I opine
that it is only dangerous to those of us with weak wills and full wallets.
Wendell Foxs wares: working knives,
axes and fighters, oh my!
Wendell
Fox, in addition to being a really nice guy, makes some of the nicest blades
out there. He has a martial sense to his defensive and fighting tools that
is rare and has a great ability to shape a handle and blade to create a good
looking, well moving piece that is comfortable in the hand. He had several
small and medium fighters, wonderful little mini-Bowies with textured G-10
handles, several working knives, hunters, and skinners that exhibited a great
deal of common sense with regard to dressing game, and some larger pieces that
included a couple of Bowies, a wonderful fighting bolo, and a couple of axes.
Wendell can do some of the most beautiful work and the finest of finishes with
great skill, but he presented a great variety of user-grade knives too.
This sense of user grade knife doesnt have
extremely high finish and there are tooling marks left on the blades, but in
my opinion this is an honest thing, not a lack of effort on the part of the
maker. The work is top notch, with not a flaw on it, but the understanding
that a user knife doesnt need a perfect finish, that such will only make it
harder to get it out and do stuff with it, is distinctly present. Despite
being a young guy, Ive been raised around people who hold opinions on knives
like that so I appreciate that more old-school thought because I apply it
often in my own work.
Of course, the
ability to finish a knife off to an absolute perfect T, in the areas of
comfort, feel, and appearance, demands its own respect. Respect is exactly
what the awe-inspiring creations of Rob Patton demanded and received. Rob
didnt have a large spread of knives, but he had more than enough. Everything
he presented was impressive, from a blade with his signature Mini-Gun
Damascus forged from shot-out Mini-Gun barrels, to an impeccably
well-balanced large fighting knife that most of us were calling a short sword.
In between were 180s, Robs wonderful little pikal knives, their
conventionally oriented brother the 360, a guarded Mariah fighter, a very nice
single-edged camp knife that balanced nicely to double as a fighter, and a
Mandrita fighting Bowie. Of them all I was most taken with the short sword,
the Mandrita and, being a pikal guy, the 180s.
Robs work is truly flawless, fit and finish
are perfect, his handle shapes and contours are wonderfully hand filling, and
he can balance a blade as good as any Ive ever seen. The short sword was very
much, in style, like a much longer fighting Bowie with a hand and a half grip,
but beyond its appearance it handled like a smaller blade light, fast and
with a lot of power; a real flesh eater. The Mandrita handled equally as well,
very comfortable in the hand, feeling like a smaller knife, light and fast
moving, but with the power of a Bowie. All Robs fighters led themselves into
each movement but were still light enough to re-direct in a heartbeat.
Robert Humelbaugh laid out a wide selection of blades and
tactical tools mounted in his sheaths and carry rigs. There were several
Gryphon M10 boot knives, in belt or shoulder harnesses, several Ontario pieces
including an RTAK in a shoulder rig, a couple of American Tomahawk Co. Vietnam
Tacticals, a Brend tactical, and more small goodies than could be counted.
There were Crook Hooks from Szabo Inc., Ti-Bops and titanium ice picks from
Shomer-Tec, packs of QuickClot, and several FrontSight HideAway knives.
Kevin Sakai also came in with a few of his little pieces, some
very cool little neck or hide-out knives with rubberized handles and well made
Kydex sheaths. Kevin is a bit of a newcomer to the knife-making world, but I
think he will go far. Right now his knives are on par with many I have seen
from more established makers.
It was fun hanging out with these gentlemen and
those who came to look and pick up some new pieces of gear that evening and
the evenings that followed. I learned a lot just looking and handling, but
also from talking to these masters of their craft. Anyone who spent time in
that room walked away with as much value in tools as those who bought things,
but ours was conceptual rather than physical. I finally ended up buying a
shoulder rig, complete with 21 ASP baton, from Robert and have been much
satisfied with it. Anyone looking for defensive tools, utility tools, and
top-notch carry gear need look no farther than the above-mentioned gents.
Sleep came easily after a long, exciting day. After a few minutes of final
note taking for the day I was dead to the world. There was no wake-up bell
or anything, as James had told us the first day things were pretty relaxed and
if you needed that extra bit of sleep you should go ahead and take it.
Nonetheless, most everyone was up by 0630, although many were up several hours
before that. Wed gather out in the clearing where we did our training and
just kind of stand around, talking, doing drills and engaging in morning
stretching exercises, until James and Santos showed up.
James and Santos would lead us in some morning exercises to
center and calm ourselves, fully shaking off the lingering fog of sleep. We
would then move right into the first session of the morning. The opening of
each session was punctuated by 35 sharp click sounds shattering the still of
the camp as those of us who had them drew our new Spyderco Temperance Trainers
from their Kydex sheaths.
Morning
training has always been one of my favorite things: wake early, get outside,
and work some drills. It really wakes you up and gets things flowing. That
said, at breakfast every morning the coffee was a welcome part of a complete
meal. Breakfast itself was always a delight and served us well to nourish our
bodies for the training ahead.
The second
day was in many ways the best day, at least on a personal level. I learned so
many new things and had such a great time that it is hard to remember it all,
but several things stick out in my mind. Based on drills from the first day
and earlier in the second day, we moved into some combat sets that involved
knife on knife work, where we would perform a disarm and then take our
opponent down with a blade around the neck, controlling the upper body via
the former knife arm. We covered variations on that theme, including
taking our opponent as a human shield. I had a lot of fun with these and
learned a lot as well. These exercises would be much talked about over the
following two days. As with all things we learned from a conceptual platform.
The more it was discussed and played with, the more we learned from it.
James Keating and his assistant
demonstrate drills while Riddlers observe.
The second day also included a really nice hike above the lodge
and down-river a ways via the trail. James told us a lot about the history of
the area, as well as sharing interesting tidbits with us about exploration,
geology and local flora and fauna. We got to see some really pretty views as
we went along. The landscape changed as we moved one way or another, higher or
lower. It is truly a powerful place to be and I found myself in awe of my
natural surroundings more than once. We looked into a few caves and overhangs,
took time to look and learn as Jim taught us about native herbs, and generally
had a really good time on the walk. It was as uplifting and enlightening as
the training itself.
Jim explains one of the local herbs
to the hikers.
We returned to the
lodge for a bit and then proceeded down a different trail to a small sandbar
out in the river. The way was rocky and one had to watch for prickly pear
cactus, but it was definitely a neat little place. Somewhat secluded against
the side of the hills, down river from the lodge, we spent a while down there
kicking around, skipping rocks and watching
Robert Humelbaugh
sling rocks with his sling. The slings were a popular pastime at river’s edge
between sessions. Many of the Riddlers tried their hands at it, with many more
of us happy to just watch from a distance.
Robert Humelbaugh working with a
sling on the sandbar.
It was decided
that we would return to the sandbar for some Bowie training later in the
event. It seemed only fitting to all of us that our Bowie work be done on a
sandbar, so with fond thoughts of large steel we all headed back up to the
lodge.
Perhaps the most interesting
training experience of the day came that night after dinner when James got a
group of us back out to the clearing where we trained and broke out the
light-sticks. The idea was to work some of the passing drills we had worked
earlier in the day, but to do it in the dark with just the light-sticks.
That way the only cue we would have to track on would be the moving slash of
green light. Unfortunately, the clouds pulled back and the full moon cast a
bright white light over everything. Even in the shadows of the trees it was
difficult not to see your partner. Nonetheless it was a very cool idea and
something Id like to pursue with my own training partners in the future.
Everyone had a great deal of fun, the humor of the moon coming out and trying
to ruin our exercise lightened the mood a lot, and afterwards we gathered
around to talk with James and each other about the lessons, training ideas,
and knives. It was a relaxing and fun way to close out the evening, with
everyone in a good mood and just standing around outside talking and sharing.
The third day contained a wonderful trip farther up-river. It included the two
sessions that sparked the most immediate thought and conceptual development on
my part: Scott Homschek and Dr. Mike Kayes flexible weapons session, and the
Bowie Knife session.
The trip up the river was beautiful and enlightening.
Hell’s Canyon is one of
the most unique and naturally wondrous places Ive ever seen. I live in the
heart of the untouched high desert Southwest, arguably some of the most
beautiful country in the United States, but I found myself in awe of the
canyon on several occasions. Different directions, different casts of light…
all revealed new things or led to further discovery of the true beauty of
things overlooked. From such chaos comes great beauty, a truly fierce
landscape with a sense of peaceful power to it.
We traveled another 25 miles
up-river on the jet boat, taking pictures and learning more about the canyon
from Dan, our pilot.
We stopped in a couple of places to get an up-close look at the canyon’s
historical offerings. These included Native American glyphs carved into or painted onto the
rocks, as well as a historic homestead site that belonged to one of Idahos
governors. Both were very interesting learning experiences and opportunities
to see the river from the Idaho side.
A natural
alum pit up-river from Copper Creek Lodge.
The sun over the hilltops of Hell’s
Canyon Gorge.
Scott Homschek and Dr.
Mike Kaye did a wonderful job with the flexible weapons segment. I really
appreciated the stuff they showed us. They used soft nylon ropes for
trainers, so we wouldnt hurt our partners using short whips or other live
weapons. This worked out very well. They showed us the basics of popping
things with a short whip and then got us to practice our targeting. We
did this first by having our partners hold their ropes dangling at arm’s length, while we tried to
snap the bottom ends with our own whips. Some folks took to it right away,
while others
(myself included) had to miss a few more times before we started getting hits.
Once the technique was understood fully, it became quite easy.
Scott Homschek snapping the end of
the dangling rope in Dr. Kayes hand.
The next exercise was a bit more difficult. Small foam blocks
about two inches square were handed out to partners. While one person
threw the blocks into the air, the other tried to pop them with the end of the
rope. This was harder to get the hang of, but it was still a lot of fun. Next we
worked on some basic concepts of redirecting incoming blows, hitting with a
taught or loose rope to move an assailants arm off the centerline. We moved that
right into trapping that arm and then both arms, a position from which we could do a
number of things. Then we did disarming with flexible weapons, catching
exposed pommels and levering the knives from our partners’ hands. Like James,
Scott and Dr. Kaye taught using a conceptual model. The drills they showed us were easy
to imagine in a realistic context and gave me a new direction in which to take flexible
weapons training on my own.
Riddlers practicing flexible weapons
work.
As planned, we all repaired to
the sandbar for the Bowie Knife segment. Those who were able and who felt like
walking down the rocky hill did so. The boat brought the rest around so
no one was left out of the fun. Between us there seemed to be enough large
trainers to go around, so no one was forced to practice with Temperance
trainers for the Bowie segment.
James started out by getting us working the back cut and
the pasatta soto using the back cut. Once we had that down, he
advanced us into an additional technique on the end of the pasatta soto.
In this,
after stabbing the opponent in the side, we drove one leg between the opponent’s legs,
brought up the knee, and while the outside leg curled in we rolled the knee into
the opponent’s leg, taking him to the ground. There we sat up and took a shot at
the
upper body, face, neck, and so on. It was an interesting drill and a lot of fun to
work.
Riddlers unloading on the Sandbar.
While we were down on the sandbar, James also showed us some of
his ideas on pistol craft using dummy (hard rubber) Colt Peacemakers. He
talked with us about various aspects of Bowie work and knife work in general.
We then broke up into little groups, trained some more, and talked about what
we had learned.
At dinner that night our hosts presented us with a special treat of jumbo
shrimp to thank us for being such a polite and well-behaved group. This added
yet another level to the already good eating we had enjoyed, not to mention the
feeling of warmth and hospitality extended by our wonderful hosts.
As dinner wrapped up a lot of us gathered to
mull over the past days’ events, just talking in general, knowing that the
next day would be all hustle and bustle before we were off to our respective corners of the world. I made a couple more gear acquisitions
from fellow Riddlers and sat in on the sharpening class given by Robin Brownie Brown
in the mess hall. I then retired early to meet the 6 a.m. wake-up
call James requested of us.
Morning dawned earlier than brighter, as the sun did not rise until past eight
each
morning. A reserve fell over the group on this last
day, as we knew that things were wrapping up and we would soon be returning to
our private lives. We would be leaving behind the excitement and fun of the Riddle,
as well as the company
of like minds. Nonetheless we all pitched in, knocking out
a final review session of sorts, helping James get rid of the last of his
give-away goodies, and getting our luggage packed up and ready to go down to
the boat.
Jim giving away the last of the
freebies.
The certificates were given
out, congratulations given, hands shaken, and friendships sealed. Everyone had
given it their all and then some, coming from great distances, overcoming
many challenges to be there and to take part. Ego and agendas found no place in
this group. All acted with kindness and professionalism as true gentlemen
warriors. I give my thanks to all these men, for without such a team effort,
without such a great bunch, things would have had an entirely different
atmosphere.
Two young men in particular
stood out for their great spirits and strong wills. Steven and Justin were
inspirations to us all and I thank them for the examples they set. I am very
proud and deeply honored to have stood with these men, people of such caliber.
I thank them all for their insights, wisdom, and guidance. I look forward to
seeing all these individuals again at other events and hopefully future
Riddles.
Heading down to the docks with Riddle
of Steel 2003 behind us.
My thanks
above all to Master at Arms James Keating for allowing me this opportunity,
for sharing with me and teaching me so much. It was an honor and a pleasure,
Sir, and I look forward very much to training with you again.
Sixteen days after coming down-river and returning to the world I had my
eighteenth birthday. Looking at it from here I will never truly be able to see
that day as the supposed right of passage imposed by culture and law. We dont
get “turned into” men; we become on our own. Without the examples set for us and
without teachers, however, we would be lost. If there is anything I will ever call my
right of passage, it is the Riddle of Steel.
I hope to return to
Hell’s Canyon many times in my life. It is a special place
apart from the Riddle, but for those of us who have experienced the Riddle it will
always be even more so. I hope I can take some journeys just for myself, but I
also hope that the future will hold more Riddles more journeys into the bosom
of the earth with Master At Arms James Keating.
The day before we left, it rained. It was a slow, soft drizzle that
filled the air, played through the trees, and danced off the river as if the
canyon was crying to see us go.
Perhaps it was crying to call
us back.